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Tuesday, December 17, 2013

when to make and when to buy

i fill my spare (what's that?!?) time with craft projects among other things. i have "i can make that" syndrome big time! why buy it when you can make it?!? well, the problem is, making it isn't always easier nor is it always cheaper.


a few years ago my friend and i saw these amazing pine cone glitter trees at tj maxx. we LOVE glitter, and they seemed easy enough to make. again, why buy it when you can make it?!?
we made the trees. we tried to gather pine cones, but we got snowed on. we ended up buying the pine cones ($). we also had to buy all the glitter, glue, and spray paint ($). we needed something to attach the pine cones to actually make a tree ($) as well as wire ($). these trees most definitely cost more than the $15 trees at the store.
so, how do you know? when do you make it and when do you suck it up and buy it?
1. cost comparison (is it really cheaper to make it?)
2. pleasure factor (do you enjoy making it?)
3. time with friends (would you rather do a craft or shop?)
4. time (how long will it take to make?)
5. memories (sometimes the memories are worth the hassle of making it)

those trees were a little bit of a pain in the rear to make. we spent hours and hours and a ton of money gathering supplies, spray painting outside in the bitter cold, glueing our fingers together, BUT the memories we made are priceless. it was a couple of years ago, and we still laugh about the trees we saw at tj maxx for $15. in hindsight it may have been better to just buy the trees, but i'm sure glad we decided to make them ourselves.
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3 comments:

  1. So true!! I made a wreath a couple of years ago and it cost me more to make it than it would have to buy it :P Plus the time it took to make.

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  2. you're silly. you are aubrey and this is your blog! ;-)

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  3. Mmmm hmmm. I've started shopping on Etsy more and more because YES I probably can make it, but do I have the time and know how? Or should I just support another small business and buy from them? But you're right, sometimes the memories are totally worth it!

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